Most automobile golf equipment’ members personal and present the identical model, make or class of vehicles — say Mustangs, Corvettes, Oldsmobiles, muscle vehicles or classic vehicles — however that’s not so for one distinctive automobile membership in Antioch by which each member has a special make and mannequin.
That’s one cause amongst others why Troy Schennek and Roger Havens, of Antioch and Harmony respectively, began and named their group the Purple-Headed Stepchildren Automotive Membership (RHSCC) in 2006.
“We named the club RHSC because we were a different kind of club, an un-club if you will — no yearly dues and no meetings,” stated Schennek, who exhibits his 1967 supercharged Plymouth Barracuda and Volkswagen Beetle on the membership’s exhibits.
Schennek, who began displaying his Barracuda 35 years in the past, has gained greater than 100 automobile present awards. The RHSCC is 12 members sturdy, with about half displaying their vehicles virtually each weekend throughout “car show season,” which is spring and summer time. The remainder of the members attend exhibits a number of occasions a 12 months as a result of they dwell out of city. Schennek says his love of previous vehicles began when he was a child.
“My passion for cars started at a young age — my dad used to take us to the Grand National Roadster Show in Oakland, before it moved to Southern California, and to the Fremont Dragstrip for many Wednesday night drags,” stated Schennek. “My dad also belonged to the Oakland Strokers car club in the 1960s. … What I love about old cars is that they have personality — they don’t all look the same, unlike most of today’s ‘cookie cutter cars.’ ”
His dad, Oakland’s Don Schennek, joined his son’s RHSCC about three months after it began, however the San Francisco native, a retired services supervisor for a nonprofit group, stated he first turned a automobile fanatic when his oldest brother took him to the Grand Nationwide Sizzling Rod present in Oakland on the age of 12.
“I have a 1923 Ford ‘Bucket T’ and a 1967 Dodge Dart GT that I take to shows,” stated Don Schennek, who stated he nonetheless likes to go to automobile exhibits, “because of the bonding with other fellow gear heads.”
His ardour for previous vehicles is as a result of “they were made strong, fast and in America,” stated the elder Schennek, who stated he additionally enjoys lighthearted really feel amongst membership members hanging out at their vehicles sitting in garden chairs.
“We enjoy putting each other down and laughing at one and other,” stated Don Schennek, who has 38 awards to this point. On a extra critical notice, he additionally stated, “It’s great to be with my son at shows, but I don’t like it when I win and he doesn’t.”
Troy Schennek recollects a humorous but in addition particular reminiscence with considered one of his finest mates, Troy Spencer, who handed away in December and was one of many membership’s first members.
“It had to be around 2007, it was Troy Spencer’s first show with his 1994 Dodge Viper. It was a real small show, only 26 cars,” stated Troy Schennek. “They had awards for the top 25 cars, and everyone at the show placed except for me. I was glad to see Troy place at his first show.”
The youthful Schennek says he additionally enjoys spending time together with his dad on the exhibits.
“I love my dad being in the club; it’s great to hang out with him,” he stated. “Car shows have brought my dad and I very close together; we always have a great time.”
One other bond the membership members share with one another is their day jobs.
“I got involved with the RHSC from their inception, when Troy and I came up with the name and the logo when we were working nights at BART,” stated Harmony’s Havens. “Troy Spencer (also an employee of the Bay Area Rapid Transit system) was one of the first additions to the club, along with Troy’s brother; Shawn Schennek and his dad, Don; and our friend, Stefen Burdat, who is also no longer with us but probably wears his colors in heaven with Spencer.”
Havens exhibits his 1964½ (because the early 1965 fashions have been known as) Ford Mustang Gasser and goes to about six automobile exhibits every summer time. Entry charges for the exhibits, relying on the venue, are usually $20 to $45, which most frequently goes to charity organizations, and the associated fee to maintain basic vehicles operating varies.
“It really doesn’t cost that much to keep up, as long as I keep it running, like starting it once a month and I haven’t had any major problems lately — thank goodness, knock on wood,” stated Havens.
The BART system and basic vehicles have stored this group going sturdy for the final 19 years.
“It helped that we all worked at BART for a certain time,” stated Havens. “Even though Spencer worked in a different department than Schennek and I, we remained very close.
“I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Brian Pingle and Randy Gonzalez as members, who both are retired from BART. We were all workers at BART, so we had that in common, and we had our classic cars in common, and it was really an amazing friendship that we all shared with each other and still do to this day.”
In the mean time, the RHSCC is simply made up of relations and shut mates.
“We haven’t opened up our membership as of yet,” stated Schennek. “But if you see us at a show, it doesn’t hurt to ask, though — you may fit right in!”
Go to them on their Fb web page at fb.com/RedHeadedStepchildrenCarClub.
Attain Charleen Earley, a contract author and journalism professor at Diablo Valley faculty, at charleenbearley@gmail.com or 925-383-3072.
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